Markets

Google buys maker of fascinating, creepy robots

Boston Dynamics is the eighth addition to Google's fast-growing robotics portfolio

Overheard words: Is mobile really all there is to Java anymore?

Report: Sprint looking at buying T-Mobile

The third-largest US mobile carrier might bid for its smaller rival next year, The Wall Street Journal says

Apple supplier Foxconn still struggles to limit working hours, labor group says

Foxconn had wanted to limit working hours at its factories to 49 hours per week

Google nixes app-security management console in Android

Google says App Ops, which allowed fine-grained changes to app permissions, was never meant to be part of Android 4.4.2

Greed isn’t good: 3 reasons not to bite on bitcoin

Bitcoin is blowing up, especially among the tech set, but the virtual currency's strong points are also its liabilities

Cisco cuts long-term revenue forecast

Customers are cautious and economies are uncertain, the company told analysts

Guess which family business is jumping on Instagram Direct

Popular reality TV mainstay is already using Instagram's messenger service to boost interaction with fans

Google goes offline with Chrome Apps for Mac

Cross-platform apps run without Internet connection, call on Google APIs and services barred to traditional Web-based apps

Hacker sentenced to 18 months for peddling access to national security lab

The man offered to sell an undercover FBI agent entry to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory supercomputers